Apenisa Waqairadovu 
A particular province received 78 small grant projects worth more than $1.2 million, while others received only one.
This has raised concerns over how small grants from the Office of the Prime Minister are being distributed.
Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Chair and Assistant Foreign Minister Lenora Qereqeretabua highlighted the disparity while tabling the Committee’s review report.
She says the Office of the Prime Minister also does not currently have a formal system to measure the impact or return on investment of its small grants.
The Committee recommends that grants be allocated using clear, fair and transparent criteria, with stronger verification and greater public awareness of the scheme.
It also recommends a monitoring and evaluation framework to ensure the projects achieve their intended social and economic outcomes.
“Of concern is the roughly $10 million in projects pending as of 2026 due to insufficient capital budgets. The Committee recommends increasing capital allocations to progressively address this backlog.”
Qereqeretabua made the comments during debate on the Office of the Prime Minister and Fijian Immigration Department 2019–2023 Annual Reports.
